Native, wild bees in northeast Kansas now have a much-needed space where they can hole up, nest and live, thanks to a PROSOCO-sponsored “bee hotel” recently installed at the Kansas University Field Station in Lawrence.
Providing habitat for native, pollinating bees is increasingly important as the population is in a rapid decline. These bees represent a crucial link in the food production chain, and losing them would negatively affect many kinds of living organisms.
“If we don’t have bees, we don’t have certain vegetables, fruits and flowers,” says Kay Johnson, PROSOCO’s sustainability and environment manager, who helped organize the project. “We’re trying to get our community a little more familiar with bee hotels.”
Conserving resources is an important facet of our business at PROSOCO. We’re proud of our products which maximize energy efficiency while leaving a minimal impact on the environment. In fact, one of our R-Guard products was used to waterproof the bee hotel. Cat 5 Rain Screen offers protection against wind and rain and also will allow the structure to properly ventilate.
Last year, PROSOCO staff and their children (along with project partners and their families) gathered at PROSOCO to begin building the hotel. Participants rolled up 1,400 pieces of paper, measured and cut 1,600 bamboo shoots and drilled holes into 45 cylinders of wood, all of which provide a different kind of tunnel, or “room” for the bees.
This month, the same group gathered to officially dedicate the hotel at the KU Field Station’s Rockefeller Prairie Trail in Lawrence.
Designed by architects at Clark | Huesemann in Lawrence, the hotel is a sustainable resting spot for solitary pollinator bees, which make up 90 percent of the bee population.
This project started as a way for PROSOCO to participate in the U.S. Green Building Council’s Green Apple Day of Service, a movement to ensure a bright future by educating children about how to conserve energy and resources today.
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